A petition to help fight against
Internet content regulation proposals of
the Australian government!
Signatures have now closed.

This petition was forwarded to the Australian Senate on 18th May 1999 and
the collection of signatures is now closed.
(The Clerk of the Senate approved the
presentation of "electronic petitions" in 1997).
Australian residents wishing to make their views known on the Australian
Government's Internet Censorship proposals are urged to contact their
MPs and Senators directly.
Organisations who publicly supported the
petition are listed below.

EFA calls upon the Internet community to rally against legislation
tabled on April 21st 1999. The legislation includes:

a ban on non-violent erotica (NVE or X-rated) online, despite them
being legal offline

use of Film guidelines to classify Internet content, making
many books Unrestricted in print illegal online

a requirement for ISPs to block "prohibited" content from overseas,
within 24 hours of receiving a notice, on pain of fines of $27,500 per day

a requirement for adult verification systems on Australian R-rated content

no exemption for private communications

The Petition

To the Honourable the President and Members of the Senate in
the Parliament assembled:

The undersigned Petitioners respectfully request that the Senate
recognises:

That, for many Australians, the Internet plays a vital
role as a means of communication, a vehicle for the expression
of ideas and opinions, and a source of information.

That the Internet is a complex, global environment where
traditional concepts of regulation are not easily applied or
enforced.

That there is a need to make a clear distinction between
the responsibility of those who produce and publish content
and that of intermediaries such as carriers and Internet
Service Providers.

That the full potential for development of the Internet in
Australia will depend on governments recognising rights to
freedom of speech taken for granted by other societies.

That the emerging information industries should not be burdened
with unnecessary and poorly conceived regulation.

The petitioners therefore call upon the Senate to reject any attempt
by the Government to impose additional censorship on the Internet.

Electronic Frontiers Australia Inc. is a
voluntary non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of online
civil liberties and online privacy.
Any information collected by this petition will be used solely for
the purpose of presentation to the Senate of the
Parliament of Australia and will not be transferred, shared
with, or sold to any other parties. All information collected will be
deleted by Electronic Frontiers Australia after the petition has been
tabled in Parliament.